Now I saw in my dream that Christian and Hopeful left him, and went on in front of him: but one of them did chance to look back, and saw three men in the wake of Mr. By-ends, and lo, as they came up with him, he made them quite a low bow. The men's names were Mr. Hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, and Mr. Save-all; men that Mr. By-ends had erst known; for when boys they were mates at school, and were taught by one Mr. Gripeman, who keeps a school in Love-gain, which is a large town in the shire of Coveting, in the north.
Well, when they, as I said, did greet in turn, Mr. Money-love said to Mr. By-ends, "Who are they on the road right in front of us?"
By.—"They are a pair from a land far off, that, in their mode, are bent on a long route."
Then Christian saw three men in the wake of Mr. By-ends, and lo, as they came up with him he made them a very low bow.—[Page 66.]
Money.—"Ah! why did they not stay; that we might have gone on with them? for they, and we, and you, sir, I hope, are all bent on the same road."
By.—"Why, they, in their fierce mood, think that they are bound to rush on their way at all times; while I wait for wind and tide. They like to risk all for God at a clap; while I like to seize all means to make safe my life and lands. They are for Faith when in rags and scorn; but I am for him when he walks in his sheen shoes in the sun, and with praise."
Hold.—"Ay, and hold you there still, good Mr. By-ends: for my part I can count him but a fool, that with the means to keep what he has, he shall be so lack of sense as to lose it. For my part, I like that faith best that will stand with the pledge of God's good gifts to us. Abraham and Solomon grew rich in faith: and Job says that a good man 'shall lay up gold as dust.' But he must not be such as the men in front of us, if they be as you have said of them."
Save.—"I think that we are all of one mind in this thing; and hence there need no more words be said of it."
Mr. By-ends and his friends did lag and keep back, that Christian and Hopeful might go on in front of them.